Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-14

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The diagram below shows how one type of desert, known as a rain-shadow desert, is formed.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

The formation of rain-shadow deserts

Student answer (Band 5.0)

The pictorial graph illustrates the information about one type of desert which is known the formation of rain-shadow effect.

Overall, it has seven steps to complete the process. And its starting from winds approach coast from sea and ends at dry wind reach inland areas.

Firstly, the first step is started over the sea and winds approach coast, then winds pushed upwards and moist air rises and cools in windward side. The fourth step is clouds form at the peak of the mountain.

Secondly, rain falls down after the cloud forms. The sixth step is dry air continues over the mountain in the leeward side. Moreover, in the last step from the leeward side dry winds reach inland areas. From coast to inland there distance around thousands of kilometres.On the left side is located sea and on the right side is rain-shadow desert which is made by completing all this steps.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The student attempts to summarise the diagram showing the formation of a rain-shadow desert, identifying several stages such as winds approaching the coast, moist air rising, clouds forming, and dry winds reaching inland. However, the overview provided in the second paragraph is mechanical ("it has seven steps to complete the process") rather than a proper summary of main trends. Furthermore, the description of the process contains sequencing errors and lacks clarity in connecting the stages logically. While key features of the diagram are mentioned, the overall response lacks the depth and precision required for a higher band, corresponding to a Band 5.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The response makes use of basic cohesive devices such as "Firstly", "Secondly", and "Moreover" to structure the text. However, the paragraphing is poor, with many single-sentence paragraphs that disrupt the flow and logical progression of the text. The referencing is sometimes unclear, as seen in sentences like "From coast to inland there distance around thousands of kilometres", which breaks the connection between ideas. Although there is an underlying structure, the mechanical over-use of linkers and faulty paragraphing place this performance at a Band 5.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is basic and repetitive, frequently relying on simple words from the prompt such as "winds", "coast", "mountain", and "desert". There are noticeable lexical errors and awkward collocations, such as "The pictorial graph illustrates" (instead of diagram or illustration) and "known the formation of rain-shadow effect". The range is limited and minimally adequate for conveying the basic message, though terms like "moist air" and "inland areas" show some topic-specific awareness. This aligns with the Band 5.0 descriptors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but grammatical control is weak. There are frequent structural errors and missing verbs, such as "And its starting from winds approach", "there distance around thousands of kilometres", and "this steps". Subordinate clauses are often poorly constructed, and punctuation errors are noticeable. While the errors do not completely obscure the overall meaning, their frequency and the persistent lack of accurate complex structures restrict the score to a Band 5.0.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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